Microsoft has issued a system update to Xbox One which includes support for external storage, the ability for players to use real names on Xbox Live, and superior SmartGlass integration. To coincide with this, the company has also dropped a major update to Xbox One SmartGlass, its official iOS companion app of the latest generation of its video game console.

The update redesigns the Home section to make it more engaging for players. It additionally lets you see all your TV and app channels in the OneGuide, as well as giving you the ability to control your cable or satellite box and TV with a brand new universal remote control feature.

Other tweaks include the ability to compare achievements, discover and play Twitch broadcasts, reorder your pins, filter saved game clips, get more types of notifications which you can manage in Settings, and see new leaderboards on games and details pages.

Oh, and game clip views now count toward the number of total views.

There are also the usual bug fixes, stability improvements, and interface tweaks.

If you’re an XBox One player (as I am!), this is one update definitely worth jumping on.

XBox One SmartGlass was is available for free download in the App Store, for all iOS devices running iOS 6.0 and above.

About the author

Luke Dormehl is a UK-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems, And Create More and The Apple Revolution, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme, and other publications. He'd like you a lot if you followed him on Twitter.

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